The present invention relates generally to rail loading of automotive vehicles and, more specifically, to a method of automated rail loading of automotive vehicles.
It is known to load automotive vehicles on railcars for shipment from one destination to another. Currently, a rail loading process is used to load the automotive vehicles on the railcars at one location and move the railcars along rail tracks to another location. The rail loading process includes driving automotive vehicles by an operator to a release pad in a rail yard and shuttling the automotive vehicles by a shuttle crew from the release pad to a load lane. The rail loading process also includes searching the rail yard for full loads of the automotive vehicles by an operator and, upon finding full loads of the automotive vehicles, manually scanning vehicle identification numbers (VINs) of the automotive vehicles with scanner guns and writing a track/spot on a window of the automotive vehicles. The rail loading process includes downloading the scanner guns by load number to verify units of the automotive vehicles to a particular destination.
In the current rail loading process, railcars are switched into an automotive vehicle manufacturer assembly plant""s rail yard facility by various rail carriers. The rail loading process includes walking up and down the individual rail tracks by a rail shipping office personnel, manually writing down railcar numbers by the personnel on a paper track set sheet. The track set sheet contains railcar identification numbers, which are a ten-digit number, and the track and the spot on the track that the railcar is located on. The rail loading process includes manually entering the ten-digit railcar number into a rail start of trip (RSOT) computer system. After a full railcar load of automotive vehicles is identified for one destination, the rail loading process includes assigning a railcar number to the load number by the personnel. The rail loading process includes manually making up a load sheet by the operator to provide a loading crew with instructions to load a specific load number on a specific railcar number. The rail loading process includes locating automotive vehicles by the loading crew and loading or driving the load of automotive vehicles onto the railcar. The rail loading process further includes updating a centralized outbound pinpoint and control (COPAC) computer system by the operator, which updates the rail carrier with the railcar number and destination.
As a result, the current rail loading process is a labor-intensive process that lends itself to errors in assigning vehicles to railcars and in recording the railcar numbers. This process suffers from the disadvantage that a relatively large amount of time is needed to makeup rail loads. This process also suffers from the disadvantage that it requires relatively large automotive vehicle inventories and resources, which are inefficiently used.
As a result, it is desirable to provide a method of automated rail loading of automotive vehicles. It is also desirable to provide a method that reduces the time needed to makeup rail loads of automotive vehicles to destination ramps and improves accuracy of the process. It is further desirable to provide a computerized method that can be used for automated rail loading of automotive vehicles that reduces vehicle plant inventory.
Accordingly, the present invention is a method of automated rail loading of automotive vehicles. The method includes the steps of attaching tags to the automotive vehicles and performing an automated railcar identification. The method also includes the step of generating an automated load makeup based on the identified railcar and the automotive vehicles. The method includes the step of locating the automotive vehicles and loading the automotive vehicles on a railcar specified in the automated load makeup. The method further includes the step of shipping the automotive vehicles via the railcar to a final destination specified in the automated load makeup.
One advantage of the present invention is that a method is provided of automated rail loading of automotive vehicles. Another advantage of the present invention is that the method reduces the time needed to makeup rail loads of automotive vehicles to destination rail ramps. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the method improves the accuracy of the process by eliminating vehicle and railcar misshipments due to error in writing the railcar number on the track sheet, entering the railcar number in RSOT, and the reversal of the railcars by location on the track. Still another advantage of the present invention is that the method reduces vehicle plant inventory by reducing vehicle plant dwell time. A further advantage of the present invention is that the method is less labor intensive and greatly reduces the time to identify and gather railcar numbers. Yet a further advantage of the present invention is that the method reduces errors in assigning automotive vehicles to railcars and in recording the railcar numbers. Still a further advantage of the present invention is that the method provides online identification and location of all railcars in an automotive vehicle manufacturer assembly plant rail yard. Another advantage of the present invention is that the method provides the ability to accurately identify railcar identification numbers by track and spot. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the method reduces cost due to lost sales, late charges, and personnel.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood, after reading the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.